QYSEA (鳍源科技), a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) manufacturer, announced yesterday that its underwater drone had participated in an anti-narcotics mission by the British Customs that seized more than 500kg of cocaine worth £30 million (US$36.32 million).
In a WeChat post by the Shenzhen-based startup, QYSEA said its FIFISH V6S 2.0 AI, one of its underwater drone models, was deployed in waters of Gibraltar recently to check the husk of a bulk ship as part of a transnational crusade against narcotics.
British customs began to work with local divers in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, to conduct deck inspection of vessels passing through the Strait of Gibraltar in late September.
In one of these checks, customs inspectors detected 456 kg of cocaine cache within a bulk cargo ship.
Two days later, they deployed the QYSEA ROV to thoroughly scrutinize the part of the ship submerged below the sea level.
During the screening, the drone found packages clinging to the hull, and relayed 4K footage to the command center for analysis.
After identifying the packages’ position, customs officials scooped them from the sea. Inside the packages were 50kg of cocaine.
British customs subsequently issued a statement, saying the drug stash amounted to a total of 508 kg.
FIFISH V6S 2.0 is an industry-grade underwater drone equipped with six intelligent propellers developed by QYSEA.
It also comes with a mechanical arm to grip objects and a high-capacity fast-charge battery pack. It features long endurance under the sea surface.
With a compact size, it is easy to carry around for applications in a number of underwater scenarios, such as shipping industry, emergency rescue, aquaculture, and scientific survey, says QYSEA.
